Notes
In August of 2008 Brian John Mitchell of Remora, Nicholas Slaton of slicnaton and Robert Brown of Northern Valentine collaborated on what has come to be known as the Clear Field recordings. Nicholas and Brian were in the studio working on a series of film recordings under the title Panthan when, while on tour, Robert Brown of Northern Valentine stopped in for an impromptu session. With Mitchell & Brown on guitars & Slaton engineering while playing bass & electronics they recorded a couple hours of music.
The Clear Field recordings are a unique combination of elements of all three projects. You hear the loops & aggression of Remora’s guitar work, Northern Valentine’s ambient shimmering glacial guitars, & slicnaton’s orchestrated glitch & deep bass tones. While hearing all three individual musicians, it still is clearly a collaboration of the three rather than one of the projects with two special guests; it is a unique sound of its own.
This release is not for everyone, but fans of Silber will definitely find a lot of sounds to dig & recognize. “Thousand-Faced Moon” has an underwater ambient sound, with a build of tension & pressure as a capsized ship sinks. “Curiosity Makes You Irresponsible” is the noisiest track, sounding a bit like listening to a Brian Eno album while navigating a war field. “Slightly Quicker Rotation” goes from glitchy loops to guitar improvisation to a darkwave groove & into aggressive ambient before working itself & the whole album back down. If it sounds like your cup of tea, it probably is.
